Penn State named Joe Moorhead, Fordham's head coach for the past four seasons, as its offensive coordinator. Moorhead replaces John Donovan, who was let go after two seasons at Penn State.

Moorhead, 42, rejuvenated a Fordham program that went 1-10 the season before he arrived. A Fordham graduate (and former quarterback) himself, Moorhead compiled a 38-13 record at his alma mater, making three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.

"We are very excited to have Joe join our Penn State Football family," Penn State coach James Franklin said in a statement. "He has distinguished himself as a head coach who made a dramatic impact at Fordham University. His approach and vision offensively is very similar to ours: hard-nosed, blue collar and explosive!"

A career offensive coach, Moorhead has made impacts at several programs over the past 18 seasons. He introduced no-huddle offenses at Akron and Connecticut, helping the Huskies to the 2010 Big East title and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.

Moorhead brought that offense to Fordham, which has been among the highest-scoring teams in the Football Championship Subdivision. Moorhead was named Patriot League coach of the year in 2013, when Fordham set a school record with 12 wins.

The Rams set school records for points and rushing yards in 2014, when they won the Patriot League title in their first season of eligibility. Fordham had not been eligible previously because it awarded scholarships before the league approved them for all teams.

A Pittsburgh native, Moorhead was a three-year starting quarterback at Fordham in the 1990s. He coached at Pitt and Georgetown before joining Akron's staff in 2004.

"We completed an exhaustive search of many candidates, and his name kept rising to the top," Franklin said. "Many factors led to this decision. Joe's makeup as a person and leader is outstanding. He is originally from Pittsburgh and has strong relationships throughout Pennsylvania and the region. He brings invaluable perspective to our staff as a former head coach. Most importantly his offensive production as a coordinator and head coach speaks for itself."

Moorhead made trips to State College with Akron in 2004 and '06, and former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has said that Akron's offense "used to give us fits at Penn State."

GET TO KNOW JOE MOORHEAD

AGE: 42

HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh (played quarterback at Central Catholic)

COLLEGE: Fordham (1996 graduate, three-year starting quarterback)

RECORD AT FORDHAM: 38-13

2012: 6-5

2013: 12-2

2014: 11-3 (Patriot League champion)

2015: 9-3

COACHING EXPERIENCE: 18 years

1998-99: Pitt graduate assistant

2000-03: Georgetown (offensive coordinator in 2003)

2004-08: Akron (offensive coordinator 2007-08)

2009-11: Connecticut (offensive coordinator 2009-10)

2012-15: Fordham head coach

STYLE: Known for running a no-huddle offense that gets plays through sideline signals. Quarterback operates primarily out of the shotgun.

RUN OR PASS: Moorhead's Fordham offenses have been quite balanced, as the numbers show.

FORDHAM OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN

YEAR TOTAL PLAYSRUNPASS

2015815462353

20141,036504532

20131,110546564

2012835419416

Moorhead also will rely on a top running back. Fordham's Chase Edmonds was the Patriot League Player of the year, rushing for 1,648 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. Edmonds has rushed for 3,486 yards the past two seasons.